1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to reloading apparatus and more particularly, to a primer pocket swaging device which is capable of being positioned in a cartridge loading press and manipulated by operation of the loading press to swage the empty primer pocket of a shell casing. The primer pocket swaging device of this invention is typically clamped in a lever-type loading press and is characterized by a cylindrical collet cover which houses an expandable collet positioned inside the collet cover and operated by a punch rod attached to the plunger of the loading press. A shell casing is inserted in an opening provided in the collet cover and the base of the casing is seated in the collet segments of the expandable collet, while the primer pocket is swaged responsive to manipulation of the loading press lever. Manipulation of the lever in the opposite direction opens the collet segments to release the cartridge after the swaging operation is complete and another casing is inserted in the collet cover for engagement by the collet segments, to repeat the operation.
One of the problems realized in swaging primer pockets prior to inserting new primers in spent sheel casings, is that of swaging the primer pockets to a uniform tolerance in order to insure that the new primer will fit snugly and uniformly in the casing base. When military-style cartridges are manufactured, a crimp is formed in the primer pocket where the primer seats in the cartridge base and this crimp must be removed by reaming or "swaging", in order to accurately seat a new primer in the primer pocket. The primer pocket swaging device of this invention automatically swages the primer pocket of shell casings by mounting the device in a loading press, individually inserting spent and deprimered shell casings through an opening located in a collet cover which houses an expandable collet, engaging the extractor groove in the casing base with the collet and swaging the primer pocket responsive to operation of the reloader lever while the casing is momentarily held in swaging configuration by the collet. Further manipulation of the reloading press lever opens the collet and releases the swaged casing after the swaging operation is complete. The primer pocket swaging device of this invention can be used with any piston-type reloader or loading press which is operated to cause a plunger to reciprocate in the reloader frame. Typical of the reloading equipment which can be used to swage the primer pocket of a spent casing using the device of this invention is a loading press of the general design illustrated in FIG. 1 of applicants drawings, which is sold under the trademark "RCBS".
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of cartridge loading apparatus and similar apparatus dealing with the reloading of cartridges is well known in the art. An early "Pocket Cartridge Loader" is detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 361,966, dated Apr. 26, 1887, to G. W. Morse. The Morse loader includes a holder or socket tube having external limiting shoulders or abutments, a movable cap or headpiece and a bullet punch, both limited by the shoulders, for accurately setting a bullet in a cartridge. U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,148, dated Apr. 10, 1956, to A. R. Thompson, Jr. discloses a "Loading Die for Small Arms Ammunition". The Thompson device is characterized by an attachment for use with an ammunition loading press frame to function with the loading press frame for loading or reloading cartridge cases. The device is also operable to reshape and resize the cartridge cases, remove the fired primer and apply a new bullet. A "Cartridge Forming Apparatus Utilizing Explosive Pressure", is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,087, dated Dec. 22, 1964, to J. Lakes. The apparatus of the invention includes a die member provided with an elongated bore having an opening in one end thereof and adapted to receive a blank shell. The bore includes a body section which terminates in one end and has a diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the body of a wildcat shell to be sized. The bore is provided with a reduced diameter portion adjacent the body section and spaced from the open end a predetermined distance, for shaping the neck and shoulder of the shell. A shell holder device is releasably secured to the die member for closing one end thereof to contact the shell adjacent the base and hold it in the bore. The shell holder is movable between a first position spaced from the die member and an operative position with the die member, wherein the blank shell is forced into the bore through the open end, causing the shell to assume a shape no greater than the bore. A device for locking the shell holder and the die member in the operative position is also disclosed. U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,812, dated Jan. 25, 1972, to John N. Nuler, discloses a "Priming Tool". The priming tool of this invention includes a shell holder for clamping the head of an ammunition case on the tool to align the primer pocket of the case with a punch. The punch is advanced in an adjusted motion to press each primer a uniform depth into the pocket of each case, regardless of variations in the rim thickness between casings. A "Centerfire Cartridge Priming Tool" is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,441, dated Mar. 6, 1979, to Gordon N. Schaenzer. This device is intended for hand-held use and includes a one piece, molded tool body and a shell casing holder integrally embedded in an end of the tool body. A lever is pivotally attached to the body adjacent the shell casing holder and functions to force a new primer into the priming chamber of the shell.
The swaging primer pockets in empty shell casings is traditionally accomplished by reamers such as those disclosed in the 8th edition, page 207 of Herters catalog. These hand-held reamers are difficult to use and sometimes result in incompletely or inaccurately swaged primer pockets which can cause a misfit of the new primer in the primer pocket of the casing. Use of these hand-held primers is also laborious and time consuming and sometimes results in lack of uniformity in seating the primers in shell casings during the reloading operation.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved primer pocket swaging device which can be mounted in a conventional loading press or reloader and is capable of quickly and easily swaging the primer pocket of an empty shell casing by manipulating the handle of the reloader.
Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved primer pocket swaging device which is characterized by a collet cover designed to contain an expandable collet which is seated on a shaped shaft, such that reciprocation of the shaft inside the collet by operation of a loading press receiving the swaging device selectively closes the collet segments to grip a shell casing, swages the open primer pocket in the casing base and expands the collet segments to release the shell casing from the collet cover.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved primer pocket swaging device for use in a conventional loading press, which swaging device includes a generally cylindrically-shaped collet cover provided with a top opening and threadibly receiving a hollow nipple at the opposite end thereof. An expandable collet is located inside the collet cover and engages a rod bulb provided on a rod which extends through the collet, wherein the collet is expandable by upward reciprocation of the rod responsive to operation of the loading press to receive the base of a shell casing inserted through the top opening in the collet cover and retractable by downward reciprocation of the rod to engage the extractor groove of the shell casing while the rod swages the primer pocket in the shell casing. The collet is reexpandable by further operation of the loading press to release the shell casing from the collet cover.